LOS GATOS, Calif., Dec. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- "Yields normal to a
bit above; quality very high" was the verdict at Testarossa Winery,
following this year's wine grape harvest. Testarossa specializes in
small lot, vineyard-specific Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from some of
California's best-known
winegrowers. After twelve vintages at Testarossa, Winemaker Bill
Brosseau is well qualified to discuss the "state of the crush" in
the fifteen vineyards and five separate appellations (Santa Lucia
Highlands, Sta. Rita Hills, Russian
River, Arroyo Grande Valley, Santa Maria Valley, Chalone) that the
winery partners with.
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121206/PH24864
)
Bill comments, "Following the challenges of the 2011 growing
season, many of us in the industry were overly prepared for weather
events that might catch us off-guard, as they did last year.
The forecast for a wet winter and wet spring never materialized.
Spring frosts, late summer heat waves, or fall rains were pretty
much non-existent. The 'weather pinball machine' was off this year
and we had spectacular conditions throughout the coastal
appellations. The weather stayed relatively consistent through
September and October. We were able to pick, process,
ferment, and barrel-down with a smooth cadence, which tends to lend
itself to very high quality wines."
A case in point would be the Santa Lucia Highlands appellation,
whose vineyards supply about 80% of the grapes for Testarossa's
vintages. Testarossa was one of the early "adopters" of the SLH;
their first vintage from the AVA was in 1997. Testarossa has
long-term partnerships with twelve vineyards in the appellation and
produces single-vineyard releases from the Fogstone, Rosella's,
Garys', Lone Oak, Doctor's, Dos
Rubios, and Pisoni estates.
Bill Brosseau continues, "We
started the harvest in the Highlands in southern end at Pisoni,
where the farming and attention to detail is second to none. By the
time we got to the heart of the SLH appellation and the cooler,
northern end, we had honed in picking parameters. Overall, we found
ourselves picking on the later side of other labels working with
the same vineyards. With the extended hang-time, we did see the
potential acidity balance to near perfect levels. As an added
bonus, we saw an increase in silky tannins, resulting in a fuller
mouthfeel for our Pinot Noir. For our Chardonnays, we pressed
to lower yields per ton to minimize phenolic extraction of tannins,
thus allowing the natural acidity to be more apparent in the palate
structure.
"We were also very pleased with the third vintage fruit coming
off our new Dos Rubios Vineyard project in the Highlands. Here we
have complete "dirt to bottle" quality control as we personally
oversee every aspect of this estate's winegrowing operations.
Overall, 2012 may prove to be the greatest vintage ever from the
Santa Lucia Highlands. And the young wines from our other ranches
and appellations are looking equally promising."
About Testarossa…
Testarossa (Italian for "red head") was the nickname given
Rob Jensen as a young university
student in Italy. Rob and Diana
Jensen left their high-tech careers and started Testarossa
in their garage in 1993 with just twenty-five cases of wine. Today,
the winery works closely with top winegrowers in the Santa Lucia
Highlands, Santa Rita Hills, Arroyo
Grande Valley, Santa Maria Valley, Russian River Valley, and Chalone appellations. The
label has grown to national prominence among collectors and
reviewers by cultivating long-term partnerships with passionate
winegrowers and vineyards such as Garys', Pisoni, Rosella's, Bien
Nacido, and Rincon.
Testarossa Winery's location at the historic Novitiate in
downtown Los Gatos offers an
unparalleled visitor experience and venue for truly dramatic
private events, weddings, and meetings. The Testarossa tasting room
is open daily. The winery also hosts "107," a patio wine bar. The
winery's online home is testarossa.com.
Contact:
dave@testarossa.com 408.354.6150 x22
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SOURCE Testarossa Winery